Ten Things You Need to Know Before You Interview for a Teaching Job

By Dr. Nancy Maynes and Dr. Glynn Sharpe

This book provides easily accessible guidance for new teachers who are planning to apply for their first teaching job. The ideas in the book, garnered from years of experience hiring teachers at all levels of the public school system, are organized in time order, providing teacher applicants with timely and specific details about how to prepare for each step of the interview process. This is a book that every aspiring teacher should own.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 19, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483693842

Dr. Nancy Maynes

After a career in teaching, consulting with a school board, and educational administration at both the elementary and secondary levels, Dr. Maynes, joined a Faculty of Education to teach aspiring teachers. She has been nominated for the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching several times. Her research into teacher hiring practices, and her experience with hiring teachers for a variety of school and district level positions, are summarized into the tips and guidance you will find in this book.

Book preview

Copyright © 2013 by Dr. Nancy Maynes and Dr. Glynn Sharpe.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2013915951

ISBN:       Hardcover       978-1-4836-9383-5

                  Softcover         978-1-4836-9382-8

                  Ebook               978-1-4836-9384-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 09/17/2013

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris LLC

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

141448

CONTENTS

Chapter 1:   Introduction/Context

Chapter 2:   Know the Process: Applying for a Teaching Position

Chapter 3:   Get Your Paper Work in Order to Help you Stand Out: Your Resume and Supporting Documentation

Chapter 4:   Dress for the Role

Chapter 5:   Knowing Who will Interview You

Chapter 6:   Read the Room: You Only Have One Chance

to Make a Good First Impression!

Chapter 7:   Know how Interviews are Structured: Expecting the Style of Questions you may Get

Chapter 8:   Anticipate the Questions

Chapter 9:   Structure Your Responses

Chapter 10:   Take Control of the Closing of Your Interview

Chapter 11:   Putting Your First Interview Experience to Good Use

References

Appendix

Appreciation is extended to Laura Donatelli for

her assistance with editing this text.

To order copies of this book contact Nancy Maynes at [e-mail] or visit our book website at

http://tenthingsinterviews.weebly.com/index.html

NOTES

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION/CONTEXT

Interviews and Other Torturous Experiences

As you work your way through this book, you will see that we have tried to create a handbook that blends the reality of landing that first teaching job, with the paradox of trying to capture the attention of those who do the hiring in a brief interview format, with a bit of humor generated from our personal experiences in being interviewed and in interviewing others.

There is nothing quite so disconcerting as an interview. It is by its purpose a judgmental situation. That creates anxiety for the person being interviewed. The purpose of this book is to give you, the aspiring teacher, an inside view of the interview process from the perspective of the interviewer, with the purpose of helping to reduce your anxiety and replace it with solid and informed preparation.

The Best Interview You Will Ever Have is the One You’ll Have in the Car on the Way Home

After people are interviewed for any type of job, their tendency is to leave the interview thinking, I should have said . . ., as they reflect on how the interview went. Nervousness gets in the way of clear cognition during an interview and causes each of us to forget good points we might have used to illustrate an idea and to present our skills in the best possible way. Through strong preparation, including getting into the mindset of the interviewer as you prepare for a teaching interview, you can ensure that you maximize the brief interview time you have and optimize the impression you leave with the interviewers. This will make that drive home much more comfortable too!

Getting an Interview Invitation

Newly certified teachers know that the market for new teachers across Canada is very competitive. Several factors outside of your control will have an influence on the availability of jobs in teaching. These include: fewer students in the schools because the population is generally producing fewer school-aged children, changes in government policies, funding changes for education, fewer retirements among career teachers, and changes in mandatory retirement requirements in some jurisdictions. It has become almost expected that newly certified teachers will spend the first years of their career doing supply teacher work or vying for the coveted long-term contracts that will place them in one school for a period of time. Many jurisdictions expect new teachers to work their way up the chain of experience through supply teaching, to long term contracts, and finally to a permanent contract. Knowing this, the new teacher needs to be prepared for the interview to get onto the supply list for their jurisdiction and needs to be just as well prepared for this as if they were being interviewed for a full time permanent contract.

Hold On: The Only Thing that Ever Remains the Same Is That Everything Changes

While the teaching job market in Canada can be daunting for newly certified teachers as they start to search for jobs, there is hope for change on the horizon. Researchers anticipate a gradual increase in student population in about 2016 and for this trend to continue on the rise until about 2022 (Dedyna, 2011). This will be further affected by waves of retirement from longer-term teachers. This is a cycle of boom and bust that is not unusual in Canada. You just need to position yourself to be ready for the increased need for teachers when it happens. Brushing up on your interview skills will help you to be ready when the opportunities are open to you.

In 2011, two thirds of new teachers could not find full time employment in their teaching field (Dehaas, 2011). But, that means that one third of newly certified teachers could find full time employment. This book is about helping you to prepare to be part of the one third of fully employed teachers as soon as possible.

Statistics Canada provides information about teaching jobs, numbers of students in each province or territory, and hiring statistics. This information can provide you with current data about growth areas in this profession across the country and that may help with your planning. Stats Canada operates an Inquiry Line at 1-800-263-1136. As well, statistics are available online at http: www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/81-595-m/81-595-m2011095-eng.pdf. This link will lead you to government reports such as Summary Public School Indicators for Canada, the Provinces and Territories, 2005/2006 to 2009/2010. Data on this site is provided as tables and graphs, which make comparisons of trends very easy.

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Connect to other information about teaching jobs in Canada through

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/81-595-m/81-595-m2011095-eng.pdf.

Also, by using an online search engine to search Canadian Statistics on Teacher Hiring, new graduates are able to get current information about trends and possibilities in the countrywide teacher job market.

Information related to teaching markets is often available from media sources. For example, the June 15, 2011 edition of MacLean’s magazine provided statistics about the percentages of teacher graduates who got permanent jobs in their field in the first year after graduation. This is information that can help you develop a realistic view of marketplace conditions in teaching as these evolve.

The World is a Big Place

A quick reminder about job mobility might be wise here. On July I, 1995, the First Ministers of Canada signed the Agreement on International Trade (AIT). This agreement was designed to eliminate barriers to labour mobility as well as the movement of persons, goods, services, and investments across the country. In specific reference to teachers and their mobility across Canada, the First Ministers agreed in principle:

 . . . to reduce barriers to teacher mobility. It is intended to allow any teacher who holds a teaching credential in one province or territory to have access to teacher certification in any other province or territory in order to be eligible for employment opportunities in the teaching profession. (Council of Ministers of Education, n.d.)

In recent times, some provinces, such as Saskatchewan, are hiring teachers from other jurisdictions in promising numbers. If you are able to relocate, you should look into such opportunities to secure your first full-time contract in teaching. Additionally, Canadian certified teachers are well regarded around the world as being among the best-prepared professionals. Consider a world adventure for a year or two to get further experience in your field. Sites such as www.joyjobs.com will help you get started to see what opportunities may be available in teaching in an international context.

CHAPTER 2

KNOW THE PROCESS: APPLYING FOR A TEACHING POSITION

Timing Is Everything!

When applying for that important first teaching position, timing is crucial. If you want to teach for a particular school board, in a particular community, and even in a particular school, you have got to stay well informed about the openings. In recent years this often involves checking the board’s web site regularly since positions will be posted electronically at the same time they are posted internally in a board. If you get into the habit of checking the web site daily, you’ll be sure to be on top of the opportunities and in tune with the timelines.

Internal and External Postings

A school board’s first allegiance is to the group of teachers already under its employ. In many jurisdictions, the school board has a working agreement with its teachers’ federations that gives the already employed teachers the first opportunity to apply for any upcoming jobs with the board. In some jurisdictions, if only one teacher applies for an internal advertisement (often referred to as a posting), no interviews are held and the job goes immediately to the internal applicant. In this way, the federation has worked with employers to serve the best interests of the teachers. These postings for teaching jobs are called internal postings.

Internal postings can create a domino effect within a board as new jobs are sought and obtained and teachers begin to move from one school to another. However, the internal posting process can also take up a considerable amount of time as teachers who are already employed by the board move to new positions, and the positions they leave become available and must be filled by either an internal or an external posting.

External postings are advertisements for those jobs that cannot be filled by a teacher already employed by the school Board and must therefore be advertised to non-employed, certified teachers.

When you apply in response to an external posting, be very careful about meeting the timelines identified in the posting. Typically, boards cannot be flexible about these timelines so a posting that says, Midnight, August 1st means exactly that. An application that is received late even by one minute will usually be refused by the board. This practice creates an even playing field and helps the board avoid complaints about unfair process. Remember, in teaching, on time always means early!

Many jurisdictions subscribe to a website recruitment service called Apply to Teach. This service is available online at www.applytoeducation.com/.